Why Americans Are Working Less

Because They’ve Gotten Smarter

One client I was working for had a situation. They noticed that their workforce was not very innovative and not ambitious. We studied a lot of data about the current workforce and my message to the client was quite simple: you got the exact workforce your policies and organization structure wanted.

I bring up this story because it came to mind while reading some Gallup data. I was intrigued, but not surprised, by the Gallup survey that showed that Americans are working less. According to the data, in 2024 Americans worked on average 42.9 hours per week, down from 44.1 hours in 2019. The gap is even bigger when you look at people over 35 Vs. people under 35.